sugar cane

What’s sweeter than honey? Sugar! Or is it the other way around? On this week's Louisiana Eats!, we try to answer that question as we examine the sweetest things from Louisiana, California and across the world.

The meeting will be held at the Hilton Lafayette Hotel on Pinhook Road.

Speakers will include Jack Roney, director of economics and policy analysis for the American Sugar Alliance, and Jim Wiesemeyer, vice president of Informa Economics, a commodity, food industry and agribusiness consulting firm.

Hurricane Isaac's winds paired with recent rains made a rough start for this year's sugar-cane grinding season. But industry officials are optimistic that weather will improve this month, helping the process along.

Jim Simon, general manager of the American Sugar Cane League, tells The Courier several mills started grinding last week. The remaining mills are scheduled to begin work this week.

Simon says the sugar cane industry has an annual impact of about $1.1 billion in Louisiana.